How it Happened: Johnson tops Tiger in playoff

Zach Johnson during the final round of his win at Tiger Woods' 2013 Northwestern Mutual World Challenge.
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Associated Press
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By Golfweek Staff

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Tiger Woods carded an even-par 72 in tough scoring conditions Saturday at the World Challenge.

It wasn't the 62 he shot in the second round, but it was enough to hold onto his lead as cold temperatures, light rain and wind kept low numbers at bay – allowing him to enter Sunday's final round leading Zach Johnson by two shots.

We'll follow the final-round action at Sherwood Country Club for its duration, as Tiger looks to post victory No. 6 in his host event – and also scroll down to read out tournament coverage to date:

• • •

First playoff hole – No. 18: Par 4, 444 yards

• Off the tee: Hard to imagine either player will take the same path again in replaying this 18th. Johnson starts off with a tee shot down the middle. Tiger finds the fairway this time, on the left side and shorter.

• On the approach: Here's where things got real interesting last time; we'll see what changes. Tiger hits first – and again finds the front bunker. Johnson again has a chance to take an edge, and this time finds the left side of the green for a realistic birdie chance.

• Around the green: Tiger plays much the same bunker shot, this one just a bit stronger and running about 3 feet past. Johnson misses his birdie putt just a bit high and long, right over Tiger's moved ball marker, then taps in the comebacker for his par. Woods lips out his putt – and Johnson wins the World Challenge.

• • •

Hole No. 18: Par 4, 444 yards

• Off the tee: Foot mashie? Tiger misses left and the ball goes into, then back out of, the gallery before it settles in the rough. Zach Johnson finds the fairway, which could prove critical the way he's been attacking flagsticks of late.

• On the approach: From the left rough, Tiger misses short and finds the steeply faced front bunker. However, Johnson loses his form with his iron and misses short of the bunker – barely clearing the water.

• Around the green: Johnson takes a drop from the hazard, moving to the drop zone – then wedges past the hole, spins it back as he has on recent holes and it falls for a par! This forces Tiger to get up and down from the deep front bunker – which he does by flopping the ball to inside 2 feet and making the putt.

TIGER FOR THE DAY: 2-under 70; co-leader with Zach Johnson at 13 under, heading to a playoff.

• Elsewhere on the course: Matt Kuchar birdies the 17th, his second straight, then barely misses a lengthy par putt to finish with the day's low round at 67, good for third at 9 under.

• • •

Hole No. 17: Par 3, 166 yards

• Off the tee: Tiger's tee shot here misses a good bit left and a little short, which will create a tough birdie putt that he needs – because Zach Johnson is giving serious chase and has his irons dialed in, hitting another approach inside 5 feet to earn another very good birdie opportunity.

• On the green: Tiger respects the speed of this long putt but a bit too much, leaving it short and tapping in for par. Johnson rolls his putt in to tie for the lead.

TIGER FOR THE DAY: 2 under par; co-leader with Zach Johnson at 13 under.

• Elsewhere on the course: Matt Kuchar birdies the 16th to get back to 5 under for the day, aiming for the day's low number.

• • •

Hole No. 16: Par 5, 567 yards

• Off the tee: Tiger finds the first cut on the left side, in a spot where the fairway narrows, as Johnson hits it in the fairway but shorter.

• On the approach: Going for the green in two, Tiger just misses left and long, and has plenty of green to work with. Johnson lays up and fires in a wedge that lands past the pin and spins back, rolling over the edge of the cup to give him a short birdie try.

• Around the green: Likely needing an up-and-down from some fairly heavy rough, Tiger flops it onto the green and the ball rolls to just more than a foot. He converts for birdie, as does Johnson with his short putt.

TIGER FOR THE DAY: 2 under par; leader by 1 at 13 under.

• Elsewhere on the course: Webb Simpson posts the day's low number, 68, to finish 7 under in fifth.

• • •

Hole No. 15: Par 3, 189 yards

• Off the tee: Needing a solid shot to remain in the lead here, Tiger is a bit long and definitely left of the pin, facing another long putt. Zach Johnson, meanwhile, has a good line but is a bit long and behind the pin for a birdie look.

• On the green: Can't three-putt again here, with Johnson in near-certain two-putt range. Tiger's speed this time is better as he lags to about 2 feet short or so. Johnson's birdie effort also stops short. Both make par.

Hole No. 14: Par 4, 455 yards

• Off the tee: Finding the left side, Tiger puts his ball in good shape.

• From the fairway: Heard saying, "mud ball," Tiger hits it to the right side of the green but the pin is at the back left. Long, unlikely birdie try ahead.

• On the green: Tiger runs his first putt well past the hole, more than 5 feet in fact, leaving a substantial par effort on the table – which misses on the right and also runs past, maybe 2-3 feet. The short putt falls for a three-putt bogey.

TIGER FOR THE DAY: 1 under par; leader by one at 12 under.

• Elsewhere on the course: Zach Johnson sinks a par effort of about 7-8 feet to pulll within a shot of the lead.

Jason Dufner makes six straight birdies after the turn, a par at the seventh ending his streak; he's 2 over for the week, in 12th with two to play.

Defending champ Graeme McDowell finishes up at 5 under, thanks to a string of three straight birdies to end his round; he heads to the clubhouse in sixth.

• • •

Hole No. 13: Par 5, 568 yards

• Off the tee: Tiger misses wide right and will face a tough decision with his play into the green.

• On the approach: A lay-up is in order, Tiger decides, and his wedge to the green just misses reaching the back tier. He'll face a tough putt.

• On the green: Tiger lags over a slope and leaves it a bit short here for his par effort; the second putt is true and he walks away with par.

TIGER FOR THE DAY: 2 under par; leader by two at 13 under.

• Elsewhere on the course: Zach Johnson plays the hole fairway-rough-green, then barely misses his third straight birdie before tapping in for par to remain 11 under.

Always a shotmaker, Bubba Watson shows off his skill again at the par-5 13th – hitting driver off the deck for a big slice that reaches the green in two. After a long lag putt to about 2 or 3 feet, then converts for a birdie that moves him to 9 under.

• • •

Hole No. 12: Par 3, 186 yards

• Off the tee: Tiger Woods is known for protecting Sunday leads. He avoids trouble here but leaves it left of the pin with a moderately long birdie putt.

• On the green: The first putt misses on the high side but he elects to finish and makes the textbook par.

TIGER FOR THE DAY: 2 under par; leader by two at 13 under.

• Elsewhere on the course: Zach Johnson gains another stroke with his second straight birdie – also from the left side of the green, Johnson sinks his putt to climb to 11 under.

• • •

Hole No. 11: Par 5, 517 yards

• Off the tee: Tiger with driver here and he finds the left fairway bunker.

• Second and third shots: After laying up, Tiger hits his third shot and lands it on the green. But the ball spins back just off the front of the green.

• Around the green: Tiger chips a few feet past the hole. Used hybrid again on that one.

• On the green: Tiger makes par coming back.

TIGER FOR THE DAY: 2 under par; leader by three at 13 under.

• Elsewhere on the course: Matt Kuchar birdies the 11th to move to 8 under. . . . Zach Johnson gets back to 10 under after a birdie at the 11th.

• • •

Hole No. 10: Par 4, 359 yards

• Off the tee: Tiger finds the right side of the fairway.

• Approach shot: Tiger hits wedge and spins it back to about 12 feet in front of the hole.

• On the green: Tiger leaves this birdie try left the whole way. He cleans up for par by making the 3-footer coming back.

Hole No. 8: Par 3, 228 yards

• Around the green: With a fairway wood from off the green, Tiger gets it to 5 feet.

• On the green: Tiger saves par from 5 feet.

TIGER FOR THE DAY: 2 under par; leader by three at 13 under.

• • •

Hole No. 7: Par 4, 446 yards

• Off the tee: Tiger clears this hole's signature boulder formation in the center of the fairway, well clear of it on the right side.

• From the fairway: Leaving this one a bit right, Tiger finds the green but faces a long birdie try to the left-side pin.

• On the green: Very good roll here from Tiger, but the putt is slightly left and leaves him a tap-in for par.

TIGER FOR THE DAY: 2 under par; leader by three at 13 under.

• Elsewhere on the course: Webb Simpson birdies three straight at Nos. 6-8 to move to 2 under for the day, fifth at 5 under.

• • •

Hole No. 6: Par 4, 422 yards

• Off the tee: Splitting the middle, Tiger leaves himself less than 140 yards in and can take aim at the pin.

• From the fairway: Zach Johnson hits first and finds the right side pin high on this narrow green, a birdie effort in store – after which Tiger fires away and hits it to 5 feet or less.

• On the green: No birdies here: Johnson misses on the low side, while Tiger's putt grazes the high edge of the cup.

TIGER FOR THE DAY: 2 under par; leader by three at 13 under.

• Elsewhere on the course: Matt Kuchar cards his second and third pars of the day, remaining 8 under through seven holes. Bubba Watson breaks the tie for third with a birdie at the seventh to get to 9 under.

• • •

Hole No. 5: Par 5, 531 yards

• Off the tee: Another miss left for Tiger, his third fairway missed today. Again, a manageable miss.

• On the approach: Manageable, indeed – Tiger fires it onto the green, long and left but within eagle-putt range.

• On the green: Tiger can't convert the eagle putt, but rolls in a birdie to go a little lower midway through the front nine.

TIGER FOR THE DAY: 2 under par; leader by three at 13 under.

• Elsewhere on the course: Matt Kuchar is trying to mount the run that Zach Johnson and Bubba Watson aren't able to so far today – Kuchar has four birdies in his first five holes to get to 8 under, T-3 and four shots back of Tiger. Johnson, meanwhile, gets things going with a birdie at the fifth to keep pace with the lead.

• • •

Hole No. 4: Par 4, 456 yards

• Off the tee: Saturday, Tiger missed right and into the water. Today he misses dry and left, but not too far off the fairway.

• On the approach: On line with the pin, Tiger finds the front of the green for a moderate birdie effort.

• On the green: As with his approach here, Tiger has the proper line but leaves it short; he taps in for another par.

TIGER FOR THE DAY: 1 under par; leader by three at 12 under.

• Elsewhere on the course: Matt Kuchar's third birdie in four holes gets him to 7 under, five off the lead, with 14 to play. Zach Johnson needs a sand save to stay within three shots, and gets it.

• • •

Hole No. 3: Par 3, 198 yards

• Off the tee: Tiger floats it onto the green here, on the left side with the pin far right. Not much chance for birdie here. Zach Johnson hits it well left also, meaning a three-putt is the more likely way for the lead margin to change.

• On the green: First to putt, Tiger misses about by about 4 feet, left and a little short; Johnson then runs it past about two feet. Tiger makes his par effort and so does Johnson.

TIGER FOR THE DAY: 1 under par; leader by three at 12 under.

• Elsewhere on the course: Matt Kuchar and Ian Poulter are 2 under today through three and six holes respectively.

• • •

Hole No. 2: Par 5, 531 yards

• Off the tee: Fairway this time for Tiger, as the ball lands in the short grass and rolls forward and toward the middle.

• From the fairway: After Johnson lays up, Tiger takes a big swing – and reaches in two. He will face a long eagle putt, but not so long that a three-putt poses a big risk here.

• On the green: After Johnson two-putts from farther away and a somewhat similar line, Tiger gives his eagle putt a solid roll; it's a good lag that gives him a short rap for birdie.

TIGER FOR THE DAY: 1 under par; leader by three at 12 under.

• Elsewhere on the course: Matt Kuchar opens with birdie to climb to fourth at 5 under.

• • •

Hole No. 1: Par 4, 342 yards

• Off the tee: Tiger misses left to start his round, but it sits up in the rough and shouldn't give him too much trouble. Johnson splits the middle.

• On the approach: No problem indeed, as Tiger finds the middle of the green and gives himself a makeable birdie putt.

• On the green: Decent roll but it doesn't fall, and Woods settles for par.

TIGER FOR THE DAY: Even par; leader by two at 11 under.

• Elsewhere on the course: Four players are under par quickly during the early-going: Ian Poulter, Webb Simpson and Bubba Watson birdied No. 1, while Lee Westwood started on the back nine and birdied No. 11.

• • •

Saturday's coverage

A day after Tiger Woods shredded Sherwood Country Club for a course-record-tying 10-under 62, red numbers were hard to find Saturday at the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge. But Woods still leads after three rounds.

• • •

Friday's coverage

Graeme McDowell called it a clinic, and he was quite accurate. Tiger Woods made 10 birdies, hit every green and found all but one fairway en route to a 10-under 62 Friday at the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge.

• • •

Thursday's coverage

This Northwestern Mutual World Challenge a hit ’n giggle affair? Well, if it is, then consider Round 1 to have been filled with many hits (the field average for the 18 in attendance was 72.78 and there were 64 bogeys) and barely any giggles.

While Nelson Mandela's death surely hits closest to home among South Africans such as Charl Schwartzel, Trevor Immelman and Hall of Famer Gary Player, Tiger Woods spoke fondly of his meeting with the late human-rights activist and leader.

• • •

Wednesday's coverage

This weekend would certainly fall into that time of year considered to be “an offseason,” yet what are 39 of the world’s top 50 players doing? They’re playing golf. All 18 players in “Tiger’s Tournament,” officially called the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge at Sherwood CC in Thousand Oaks, Calif., are ranked within the top 30.

He was effusive in his praise, calling it an “amazing 15 years” and suggesting that “if we didn’t have this event, we wouldn’t have a learning center in Orange County (California).” But at the same time, Tiger Woods conceded that moving his end-of-year tournament from West Coast to East Coast made sense, albeit begrudgingly.

Give Jordan Spieth credit for a lot of things, among them his very sharp sense of gratitude. Many might have overlooked how Spieth earned his way into this week’s Northwestern Mutual World Challenge, but not the kid from Texas.

Jason Dufner, being an Auburn Tiger, wants to see his alma mater's football team in its conference-championship game. But he's booked in this week's Northwestern Mutual World Challenge. So he took to Twitter and reached out to a Tiger with a different set of stripes – tournament benefactor Tiger Woods.

As title defenses go, little spotlight will be provided Angel Cabrera, but trying to win a second straight Argentina Open takes on personal meaning for the proud Argentine. The tournament tees off Thursday and is the 14th and final tournament of this year’s LatinoAmerica Series. Mexico’s Jose De Jesus Rodriguez has a slight lead over American Ryan Blaum in the battle to be leading money winner.

Rory McIlroy remained at No. 6 in the latest Official World Golf Ranking following his victory at the Australian Open. It was the first victory of the year for the former World No. 1. Also, Jason Day moved to 10th, bumping Jason Dufner to 11th, after tying for sixth at Royal Sydney. And Hideki Matsuyama improved two spots to 23rd after his fifth Japan Tour victory this season.

Jack Nicklaus said he would have to root for grandson Nick O'Leary, a tight end for Florida State, if he lines up against Nicklaus' alma mater Ohio State with college football's BCS national championship on the line: “I’m an Ohio State guy, but blood is thicker than anything else.”

Fresh off an Australian Open win isn't a bad time for a sponsor to debut a commercial featuring a top golfer. But for a (pardon the American expression) soccer ball? Set to none other than Bing Crosby's "Straight Down the Middle," Rory McIlroy indeed takes to a golf course – introduced with playing partner and Manchester United footballer Wayne Rooney.

Tiger Woods is going to wear a customized pair of TW’14 shoes in tournament play next year – and Nike Golf and Woods are leaving the design up to the fans. TW’14 is the first Nike Golf shoe to become available for customization on NIKEiD.

The 2014 PGA Tour season was highlighted with breakout performances, cash grabs and a top player who filed on all cylinders. The lowlights were plentiful, too. Jim McCabe presents 10 of the most notable moments.

PGA top 10: McIlroy and the breakout players

Rory McIlroy won PGA Tour player of the year honors for the second time in three years.
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Associated Press
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Given Keegan Bradley's rousing golf success, it could be assumed that he provides the family a focal point around which to can rally a passion for golf. The Bradleys, however, are a family with deep golf roots.

Jordan Spieth is looking to close out his third professional victory Sunday at Isleworth. But the 21-year-old, who turned pro halfway through his sophomore year at the University of Texas in 2012, said Saturday that he still misses being a college student.

World Challenge leader Jordan Spieth: 'I miss school'

Jordan Spieth during the second round of the Hero World Challenge Friday at Isleworth Golf and Country Club in Windermere, Fla.
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Associated Press
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